District 9 Interim Councilman Krier Considering Election Run

Joe Krier was appointed to the City Council's District 9 seat in November. He is now considering running in the special election in May for the remainder of the term.

Ryan LoydTPR News

Two months after being appointed to the City Council District 9 seat to "fill in" until a special election can be held, Joe Krier said he's considering a run for the seat in May.

The former Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce executive said he was careful with his words during his November interview, telling the council he did not anticipate to seek the seat beyond six months.

"I am not intending to run, but I have also been careful to say I don't view it as a caretaker in the sense of just kind of sit there and watch the months go by," he said during the council's B session.

But just a few months after his appointment, Krier said he has found out that it's hard to get a lot done as a six-month interim councilman. He's received feedback from hundreds of his constituents and leaders from the business community, he said, encouraging him to seek the seat in the special election.

"I discovered that there were some issues that I had a lot of interest in that I thought I could be helpful on," Krier said. "And one of them is what we are going to do with regard to the long-term cost of the police and fire healthcare and that's a topic that will be reported on this month or February, but I would guess it's going to take a good chunk of the rest of the year for the council to work through what it wants to do, if anything, about it."

After the special election, one year remains on the seat that was vacated by Elisa Chan, who stepped down to focus her attention on a run in the Texas Senate. Krier said he has notified nearly all of the council body to let them know his new intentions. He said he doesn't feel like he misled the council.

"When I interviewed I told them I did not intend to run, and frankly I did not intend to run," he reiterated.

Krier said he'll take the weekend to weigh his options and make a formal announcement next week.